Groundhog Day: Did Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow?

Will spring come early this year, or do we have to endure six more chilly weeks of winter? Weather is unpredictable, so let’s just ask a groundhog!

Thousands of people gathered in Punxsatawney, Pa. to catch a glimpse of the world’s most famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil on Feb. 2 — but what did he see? According to Mike Johnston, the vice president of Phil’s Inner Circle, the groundhog did NOT see his shadow, so spring is right around the corner! That’s a relief — the average high in New York City these past few weeks has been a low 30 degrees. It’s not so fun.

So how exactly does Phil comes up with this conclusion?

Mike explains that Phil uses “a chirp and a click and a wink of an eye” to inform the Inner Circle’s president about his vision. Surprisingly, AccuWeather finds the furry rodent has an 80 percent accuracy rate.

Had Phil seen his shadow, there would be six more weeks of winter.

AccuWeather seems to have a different outlook than Phil is predicting this year, at least for the Northeast and Northwest regions.

“A couple of winter storms may impact the Northeast during February and March,” AccuWeather writes in its spring outlook. “The potential exists for snow along the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to New York City and Boston.”

Since the Groundhog’s first prediction in 1887, Phil has seen his shadow 100 times and not seen it on just 16 occasions. Somehow, there are 9 missing years in the record.

What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers? Are you satisfied with Phil’s prediction? Are you a fan of winter, or are you looking forward to spring? Tell us how you feel and if you believe this folklore!